Which criteria does the red dot jury take as a basis for selecting the laureates?

Design is relevant to various spheres of life. Therefore, designers, as well as manufacturers, were called up to submit their works for 19 different categories of the “red dot award: product design” in 2012. There is hardly any product that cannot be submitted and potentially be awarded. Whether designs are awarded a red dot is decided by a panel of independent, renowned experts, who are luminaries in their respective area of expertise and therefore contribute significantly to the quality of the competition.

They set high standards for the assessment of the submissions and consider different criteria in their decisions. Some important aspects include the degree of innovation, functionality and ecological compatibility. However, this does not mean a product needs to meet all the assessment criteria to be awarded. The criteria serve as a guideline and some characteristics are given more weight than others.

In February 2012 it’s happening: 30 experts from all over the world come together in Essen, Germany, in order to decide upon this year’s best designs. Who will win over the specialists with his work? And who will be awarded the sought-after red dot? At the end of this month, people will know. Already by now, the standards for the decision-making process are set.

Adjudication criteria of the “red dot award: product design 2012”

Degree of innovation:Is the product new in itself or does it supplement an existing product with a new, desirable quality?

Functionality:Does the product fulfil all requirements of handling, usability, safety, and maintenance, and does the manual explain its use in a comprehensible way?

Formal quality: How logical is the constructive structure and the congruity of the formal composition? How is the form related to the function?

Ecological compatibility:Are materials, material costs, manufacturing technology and energy consumption in an appropriate proportion to the product utility? To what extent have disposal problems and recycling issues been considered?

Ergonomics: Is the product adapted appropriately to the physical and, if necessary, psychic conditions of the user?

Durability:Have the product’s material, formal, and non-material value been designed for a long life-span?

Symbolic and emotional content:What does the product offer the user beyond its immediate practical purpose in terms of sensual quality, possibilities of a playful use or emotional attachment?

Product periphery:How is the product as part of a system integrated into the system environment? How have packaging and disposal issues been solved? Self-explanatory quality: What does the product convey about its purpose and use without knowing the manual? How distinct are product semantics and product graphics?